Lwengo district has lost its prime property over an outstanding debt of Shillings 30 million it owes Hajj Abdul Kitatta, the former Bukoto West Member of parliament. The district council has resolved to allow Hajj Kittata to take over five out of the nine acres of land hosting its headquarters in Mbirizi town council because of failure to settle the debt.
In 2016, Haji Kitatta donated four acres of land to the district for the establishment of administrative offices and entered into a sales agreement with the district for the remaining five acres of land for future expansion. Although the district had made the partial payment of Shillings 30 million and committed to paying the balance in two years, it has failed to meet its obligation for close to a decade now.
In March this year, Kitatta served the district with a notice of reentry to his property, indicating that he had given them ample time to pay his money in vain. Peregrino Ssenozi, the Lwengo district Speaker, says that they have resolved to relinquish the land and return it to the owner after losing hope of raising his balance.
Ssenozi explains that despite repeated reminders, the district failed to raise the balance, yet the property has since appreciated in value, which may also cause the local government to pay a penalty over the failure to honor the agreement for a long time. He says that the council unanimously resolved to give up on the land on condition that Kitatta returns the Shillings 30 million deposit.
Ibrahim Al-malik Kitatta, the Lwengo LC V Chairperson argues that the property owner presented enough justification to repossess his property after the district failed to find a vote from within their budget that would clear the debt.
The LC V Chairperson explains that for the last three consecutive financial years, the district council has been passing resolutions for payment of the outstanding debt but the Ministry of Finance didn’t consider the issue a priority. He has appealed to other well-wishers in the area to help and donate more land to the local government, arguing that the district is highly constrained to purchase land for various public projects.
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